Teenage Wasteland

Ministering to teens with the help of St. John Bosco

01/31/2019

Mark 4:21-25 Jesus said to his disciples, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." He also told them, "Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

One of the greatest challenges, and I believe also a tremendous opportunity, in parish ministry today is working with children and youth. I tip my hat to those who do that here locally every day: Sharon Blentlinger at I.C. School, Surennah Werley and Cecilia Garcia with the Parish Religious Education program, Loretta Collins with the Youth Ministry, and Karen Hollenbeck at Trinity Junior High. It takes a special gift and talent to work effectively especially with teens, because they are neither fish nor fowl, neither child nor adult. They live in this “in-between world” a kind of no man’s land, that can feel dark, difficulty and even dangerous, just think of the rising rate of teen suicide. Cracking the code of youth ministry is doubly urgent for the Catholic Church because the lack of a vibrant youth program causes some Catholics to jump ship and join other churches. Parents explain: “Well, at least I didn’t have to argue and fight with my teenager about going to Mass; we went elsewhere.” We may not like it, and wish things were different, but our Catholic teens struggle to stay Catholic.

Today is the feast day of St. John Bosco, the saint who literally wrote the book on Catholic youth ministry. Even though St. John Bosco lived from 1815 to 1888, he still has something valuable to teach us about working with teens today. John grew up in Turin in northern Italy, surrounded by the ill-effects of industrialization and there was wide-spread poverty. But Bosco’s heart especially went out to the street children and juvenile delinquents.

He did three things to help them stabilize their life and have a bright future, and of course be better Catholics. First, he learned to juggle and do magic tricks to entertain and attract the children. But before they could enjoy the magic act, they had to say a prayer. He snuck in the faith behind the magic, which was the real magic trick. Secondly, when correcting misbehavior he used the power of love instead of the power of punishment. Corporal punishment was common in those days, so Bosco’s approach was seen as revolutionary. And third, he created boarding houses where children were able to get off the street and experience a little normal family life. Many of those young people wanted to follow John Bosco in his youth ministry and he formed a religious order called the “Salesians of Don Bosco.” By the way, a good friend of mine, Travis Gunther, joined the Salesians several years ago, and just made his final profession. It seems youth ministry has always been both a challenge and an opportunity for the Catholic Church.

May I suggest three things we can do to help our teens stay Catholic? This is not exactly a page out of St. John’s Bosco’s book, but hopefully at least in the same Salesian spirit. First of all, share your story and listen to their story. Stories about our life, especially our faith journey, have a way of being very non-threatening and non-judgmental. And teens need both. But also listen attentively as they share the first few pages of their life story. Be patient with their faltering first attempts to write their story. They will make mistakes. All authors learn to write well only gradually and with practice.

Secondly, when you have to correct your teens, do so with love and explain the reason for the correction. And by the way, do not expect them to tell you what a great mom or a great day you are for correcting them. They will tell you that when they are forty years old, not when they are fourteen years old.

And the third thing is the hardest thing, namely, try to reduce the time they spend on social media: Instagram, snapchat, facebook, etc. I know technology can be very useful – I used it this morning to research St. John Bosco! But it can also be addictive and anonymous; giving users a feeling of freedom that is harmful. Rather, when teens value the flesh and blood people standing right in front of them, they will be one step closer to cherishing the Flesh and Blood of the Eucharist at every Mass. Social media offers you a lot of things, but it does not offer salvation.

May St. John Bosco inspire all those who work with children and youth in the Church! Working with teens is both a challenge and an opportunity in every age of the Church. It is a ministry we dare not ignore.

Praised be Jesus Christ!